Staying as tourist after visa expires?

[pj286]

Hi,

My Tier 2 visa will soon be expiring and I would like to stay for several weeks beyond the expiration. I won't be working in this time. Is this allowed? Will I need to leave the country and re-enter as a tourist? Also, is there any problem with continuing to rent my flat for several weeks after my visa expires?

Thanks!

[moonlight55]

You will become an over-stayer if you continue to stay beyond your visa expiry. This may create issues if you want to come back to UK in future. Legally, you are not allowed to work after your visa expiry.

You can leave the country and come back as a tourist of you want to. Obviously, you are not allowed to work on tourist visa.

[FaeLLe]

Leave immediately if you do not want to complicate things in the future.

You might be flagged as an overstayer and removal proceedings might be initiated even at the departure gate it unlucky.
Then you will have to report this in any visa application for any country or you will be lying on the form.

[pj286]

My employer has clearly stated that I have 28 days to vacate the country after the expiration date, after which I will be considered to be overstaying my visa. Therefore, I am not concerned about that time period. I would like to stay beyond 28 days, so my current plan is to leave the country towards the end of that 28 day period, and attempt to re-enter as a tourist. I will carry with me documentation supporting my plan to return to my home country (US) at Christmas time. As far as I understand, I will not be breaking any rules at any point, and the very worst case scenario is that I am denied entry at the border and will have to return to the US earlier than I would like.